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Precision data helps growers farm smarter

An agronomist says in today’s agriculture environment it’s even more important for growers to know which management practices work and which ones don’t on their farm.

Purdue University’s agronomy education distance and outreach director Bruce Erickson says precision tools don’t just allow producers to shave input costs, they also give growers a visual aid to better understand their farm.  “The other end of precision farming that we want to capitalize on is this data dependent side,” he says.  “It offers the promise of some additional cost reduction, but also increases in yields.  And of course returns are the difference between what we’re getting for our crop and what we’re putting into that crop.”

He tells Brownfield even in times of tighter margins management practices shouldn’t vary drastically from year to year.  “You shouldn’t have been spending extra money back when things were really more profitable,” he says.  “And you shouldn’t be overcutting now that it is less profitable.  Look at everything that you do and try to find where the return is and I’d say go accordingly.”

He says many precision data tools provide information in real-time and having that information at the fingertips of growers and crop advisors helps farmers make more timely management decisions.

Erickson says that helps growers maximize their return on investment.